Lack of visibility remains one of the biggest cybersecurity challenges. Without complete visibility into all assets, security teams are unable to identify vulnerabilities and potential threats. That’s why IT asset management (ITAM) is critical to any security strategy. By following ITAM best practices, organizations can gain greater visibility and control of the IT environment.
In a recent Deloitte survey of more than 3,500 ITAM professionals, 77 percent said a robust ITAM program is essential to cybersecurity. However, just 54 percent said that their organizations’ ITAM and security processes are aligned. Furthermore, 82 percent acknowledged that lack of visibility remains a significant barrier to effective ITAM practices.
Many organizations continue to struggle with fragmented ITAM programs that rely on manual processes. As a result, they lack effective control over device security posture and the ability to track the location of assets. Not surprisingly, 17 percent of security incidents are caused by lost or stolen IT assets, according to a recent Forrester Research report.
A New Approach Is Needed
Improving ITAM practices has taken on a new urgency with remote and hybrid work. These models have created an ever-expanding attack surface that’s often riddled with vulnerabilities. To close those gaps, security teams need to know where each IT asset resides and who can access it.
However, increasing complexity makes effective ITAM difficult. Each employee has multiple devices, and the IT environment is filled with a diverse and growing array of asset types. Legacy ITAM systems and processes are inadequate to meet these challenges. Organizations need a tightly integrated full-lifecycle approach utilizing high levels of automation.
According to the Deloitte Global ITAM Survey Report, an end-to-end managed services approach is an attractive alternative. Qualified partners enable organizations to leverage advanced expertise and automated tools that enable real-time decision-making and new insights.
KST Data’s Full-Lifecycle Program
KST Data offers a proven and mature suite of ITAM services. We help customers integrate the various tools they use for endpoint and software license management to enable greater visibility. By correlating the data in these systems, we can create a centralized dashboard that provides greater insight into the customer’s asset portfolio. The dashboard also enables customers to improve their patch management processes and resolve any discrepancies between their asset inventories and physical environment.
Of course, this data must be accurate and complete to be useful. KST helps customers develop more rigorous ITAM processes, ensuring that the right information is captured throughout an asset’s lifecycle. This requires a multidiscipline approach that encompasses purchasing, implementation, help desk operations and decommissioning. The result is a closed-loop ITAM process that records every time a device is “touched,” making it possible to track what happens to it over time.
Operational, Financial and Security Benefits
KST’s approach enhances IT operational performance by optimizing resources, automating processes and improving cross-team collaboration. Our automated provisioning and management services further reduce overhead by enabling “tech-less” device deployment and refresh.
ITAM analytics tools integrate with ticketing systems to enable smarter decisions about device disposition. Organizations can fine-tune their refresh policies and processes based on support ticket metrics, warranty status and other criteria. This helps organizations maximize the value of IT assets throughout their lifecycle while improving the user experience.
Most importantly, KST’s ITAM solutions help improve security and regulatory compliance. Patches and updates are effectively tracked across the enterprise, and end-of-life assets properly decommissioned. IT teams can also identify missing devices and take appropriate action.
Ineffective ITAM processes create security risks. KST’s ITAM solutions reduce this risk by combining disciplined processes with automated tools to provide greater visibility and control across the extended enterprise.